Matt Painter said it was coming, and Daniel Jacobsen has wasted no time proving him right.
The 7-foot-4 Purdue junior turned in another strong night Monday, finishing with a game-high 20 points in the Boilermakers’ 76-59 win over Illinois State. It was Purdue’s first win of the season, and it kept Jacobsen rolling after a blistering start to the year.
Through three games, Jacobsen has scored at least 20 points every time out. He opened with 22 against Gonzaga, then followed that with 28 points and 10 rebounds against Valparaiso before adding 20 more Monday. That puts him at 70 points in three games, good for 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
That production looks even more striking when stacked against last season, when Jacobsen came off the bench and averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds over 39 games.
“Working in the offseason and just being confident,” Jacobsen said of his growth after the game against Valparaiso. “I trust my ability and my teammates believe in me.”
The scoring has been loud, but the efficiency has been the real eye-opener. Jacobsen has piled up those 70 points on just 32 shots, one of the most efficient stretches in college basketball.
He was 9-of-11 in the opener against Gonzaga, went 9-of-13 in the loss to Gonzaga, and then scored 20 points Monday on only eight shots, making six. His only misses were two three-point tries.
He’s also making life miserable for defenders by getting deep post position and drawing contact. Jacobsen has already attempted 25 free throws this season and made 21 of them, an 84% clip.
That’s a major jump from last season, when he shot below 63% at the line. For Purdue, that matters because it helps keep Painter’s 7-foot-4 center on the floor late.
Jacobsen’s impact hasn’t been limited to scoring. He’s been a better defensive rebounder and has given Purdue real rim protection through the first three games, even if the blocked-shot numbers haven’t piled up. His size and wingspan still make things difficult for opponents around the basket.
The rebounding piece has stood out, too. Purdue wanted more aggression on the glass from Jacobsen entering the season, and so far he’s delivered with at least seven rebounds in each of the first three games. That’s a noticeable shift from last season, when he could look timid at times after the leg injury he suffered as a true freshman.
This year, there’s been no sign of hesitation. He’s going after rebounds, fighting for position and battling for every loose ball around the rim.
Of course, three games is still a tiny sample. Purdue will face bigger frontcourts later, and Jacobsen’s test will only get tougher. But the early signs are exactly what Painter had in mind when he talked about a “big leap” in the offseason.
Painter also pointed to something else before the season: Jacobsen would finally get a chance to play through mistakes. Last year, with Oscar Cluff and Trey Kaufman-Renn in the mix, he didn’t have that same runway. Now he does, and Purdue appears willing to live with the bumps because the payoff has been so obvious.
That leash has come with heavy minutes, too. Jacobsen played 27 minutes against Gonzaga, sat 13 because of foul trouble early in the second half, then logged 42 minutes in the 50-minute double-overtime game against Valparaiso. Against Illinois State, he added another 32.
That kind of workload can wear on a player. So far, it hasn’t slowed him down. Jacobsen looks capable of giving Purdue around 30 minutes a night and anchoring the middle while he’s out there.
It’s still early, and no one should rush to crown anyone after three games. But right now, Daniel Jacobsen is playing like one of the most dominant centers in college basketball.
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